Night Shifts
by GeminiMercedes
Summary: After beginning night shifts at the Emerald Eatery, Sonic's sleeping hours aren't the only things that start to change… (SONADOW) ONE-SHOT please R&R if you like it!


_**Night Shifts (One-Shot)**_

 _ **Bio: After beginning night shifts at the Emerald Eatery, Sonic's sleeping hours aren't the only things that start to change… (SONADOW) ONE-SHOT please R &R if you like it! **_

_**ENJOY! Author's Note at the end!**_

"That'll be $6.11 including tax sir. Cash or credit?" Sonic asked as the customer in front of him fumbled with his wallet.

"Credit..." The customer muttered as Sonic turned to give the chef, Blaze, a gesture to add two burgers to the grill.

Sonic worked at the Emerald Eatery, a fast food restaurant in the heart of Soleanna City. It was far from the best job the hedgehog could have come across, but it paid the bills and kept food on the table. Having to pay his own bills had also stopped him from pursuing any post-secondary options. The blue hedgehog had originally wanted to go to college, but tuition was expensive in Soleanna and the schools were extremely competitive. Right now, he was retaking a couple high school courses to raise his grade point average and keep him busy. At first, he had been jealous of his friend Tails, who was currently attending the most prestigious college in the city on a full scholarship. The two had remained close over the years and now it felt like they couldn't be further apart. But Tails visited the Emerald Eatery as often as he could and that made Sonic feel better. Sonic only wished he would stop bringing his colleague, who had quickly grown infatuated with the blue hedgehog. In fact, the colleague had the tendency to visit the Emerald Eatery _without_ Tails when she really wanted to see Sonic.

Today was one of those 'special' days.

During a rush to the freezer to get more chicken strips, Sonic heard a loud shriek by the cash registers that he could only attribute to the one and only Amy Rose.

"Is Sonic here?!" The pink hedgehog had yelled to an unenthusiastic echidna.

"Yeah, yeah, give him a sec. Now are you gonna order or just stand in the way?" Knuckles drawled, turned back to see if Sonic was coming back.

The blue hedgehog was actually hiding behind Blaze, the cook, who continued to flip burgers as if nothing was happening.

"Knuckles!" Sonic hissed, peering out from behind Blaze to see if the pink hedgehog was still standing at the front.

She was.

"You're going to have to tell her eventually..." Blaze muttered, her eyes never leaving the grill. Sonic turned back to her and frowned.

"Do we really need her to have a melt down in here when she finds out?"

"At least she wouldn't come back."

"Do you really believe that?" Sonic retorted.

"..."

"See, I told y-"

"Sonic! I came all this way, you could at least say hi!" Amy said loudly, her voice beginning to irritate the surrounding customers.

"Can it, girly!" A man at a nearby table yelled, shaking his fist in the pink hedgehog's direction.

"Yikes!" Sonic had thought to himself as he raced to the front and gestured Amy to the side of the counter not occupied by cash registers and irritated patrons.

"Hi Amy, how are you?" He said with a fake smile. The pink hedgehog was nice, a bit clingy, but nice. He didn't have the heart to tell her he played for the other team though.

"Oh Sonic, today's been so boring without you! You have to apply for Uni next year so we can have classes together." Amy said with a laugh, grabbing his hand as she spoke.

Sonic bit the inside of his cheek. He really didn't need the school talk during a shift.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see. Can I get you anything?" He said with a huff, trying his best to keep up his sunny disposition.

"Oh, an iced tea please. It's so hot these days, I almost took the bus here to avoid walking." Amy explained, her grip loosening slightly. Sonic took the chance to pull his hand from her grasp and look over at Charmy who was making a fresh pot of coffee.

"One iced tea, Charmy."

"On it, Sonic!" The bumblebee replied enthusiastically, almost spilling the hot coffee on the floor as he turned to see who wanted iced tea.

Sonic's eye twitched as he turned back to Amy, who had by now latched on to his arm again.

"So how is your day going Sonic? I'm sure it's been more interesting than mine...did I mention my days are so boring with you?" She asked sweetly.

Sonic inwardly grimaced, his shift suddenly feeling a lot longer than usual.

/

This caused him to start asking for night shifts. It meant that after his high school classes finished, he would have to take the train back to Soleanna to work. But it was worth it if it meant avoiding Amy. It also meant he'd be working with a new staff, but again, anything to dodge Amy at this point.

His first shift was a seven to midnight shift, which wasn't too different from his six to eleven morning ones. Vector handled the grill, Cream was in charge of drinks, and Sonic worked with Rouge at the cash registers.

"The night shifts get pretty boring, ya know," Rouge explained the first night, popping the pink bubble gum she had that never seemed to run out. "A few people here and there, but for the most part it's pretty dead."

Sonic had smiled and nodded.

"Doesn't sound too different from my morning shift. It's usually lunch and afternoon that get the crazy customers." He had replied. Rouge had smiled before pulling out her phone to text someone.

"And that's why I stick with these shifts..."

But for the most part, Sonic enjoyed the night shifts. He expected Amy to eventually figure out he had switched shifts, but for now, he was completely ignorant to that fact. Well, as ignorant as one could be after Charmy had texted _'She WON'T leave. We're calling the police if you don't come'_ to their phone.

But Sonic also enjoyed the new customers he got to meet during his night shifts. The morning patrons were usually irritable and short with the eatery staff and Sonic was glad to see more cheery people at the cash register waiting to be served. The staff was pretty cool too. He missed his morning buddies, but Vector and Rouge's arguments were entertaining enough to pass the time. Cream was actually enrolled in a college at Soleanna and during breaks would give Sonic advice on post-secondary work and the stresses that came with it.

"I think you'd enjoy it, but working at the same time is far from fun" The beige rabbit had warned him one night.

"I have a pet chao that I have to walk daily, so when I get home late I still have to take him out." She said with a soft smile. It didn't make Sonic's desires any less but it made him want to plan out his future a little more thoroughly.

And so Sonic's night shifts at the Emerald Eatery continued, the blue hedgehog soaking in as much as he could.

But one night, everything changed.

It was around ten thirty when he went to the back to take his break so Rouge could return to the register. Cream had left him a latte which he drank quickly, desperate for caffeine. He had just pulled out his cell phone to play some cheap racing game when Vector appeared at the door.

"She's doing it again." The crocodile said with a growl. Sonic knew exactly what 'it' was.

Rouge had the tendency to flirt with some of the night patrons and while some appreciated the attention, others found her mannerisms trashy and downright appalling. One time, Rouge had flirted with a married man whose wife was standing only steps away looking for a table. The wife would have jumped over the counter if Sonic and Vector hadn't stopped her. Word had travelled to management and the night staff had received emails on proper workplace conduct. That hadn't stopped Rouge, but Sonic noticed that her flirting was now discreet and usually stopped if she got too many side glances. Nevertheless, Sonic and Vector had made it their mission to stop her if they noticed anything peculiar. Heaven forbid the whole staff get reprimanded for the bat's _off putting tendencies_.

Sonic sighed as he got out of his seat and headed to the front.

Rouge was talking to a customer, whether or not she was flirting, Sonic wasn't sure yet.

Stepping beside her, he turned to ask her when his eyes fell on what he was sure had to be a fantasy.

In front of him was a black and red hedgehog holding his wallet and some loose change. He had a black leather jacket on with fur around the hood and black skates with crimson accents. His eyes were a bright red and his quills were sharp and flashy. Sonic staring went unnoticed by the hedgehog as he continued to speak to Rouge.

"Who is that?" The blue hedgehog thought to himself. The guy was gorgeous.

"Oh hey Sonic," Rouge said, interrupting him from his thoughts. "This is Shadow, a good friend of mine." The black hedgehog rolled his eyes.

"Barely" he huffed, ignoring the glare Rouge sent him. Turning to Sonic, his features seemed to soften and Sonic was sure he felt his heart skip a beat.

"I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you around here before. New hire?" Shadow said with an unreadable expression on his face. Sonic opened his mouth to respond but Rouge beat him to it.

"No, he just works night shifts now. He's definitely an upgrade from that chum Espio..."

"Quiet bat!" Vector yelled from the grill, waving his spatula angrily.

"So I guess we'll be seeing each other often then. I go to the University close by." Shadow explained, extending his hand. Sonic took it and noticed the firm grip the hedgehog held.

"Y-yeah, a few of my friends go there too." He replied, inwardly slapping himself for stuttering. Shadow blinked and pulled his hand back.

"Really?" He asked softly. His voice wasn't loud but it was rough and deep and Sonic was more than aroused at this point. But before he could reply, a loud beeping went off.

"Crap, one second." Shadow said, searching his pockets and looking slightly flustered. Sonic held back a giggle as Shadow's face lit up as he found the phone. Putting the phone to his ear, the black hedgehog turned away from Rouge and Sonic.

"He's cute huh?" Rouge said while nudging the blue hedgehog. Sonic almost fell back into the espresso machine.

"Yes...okay...on my way." Shadow hung up the phone and turned back to the two cashiered.

"Duty calls?" Rouge said with a smirk. Shadow rolled his eyes.

"It always does." He muttered. Turning back to Sonic, he smiled.

"It was nice meeting you, hope to see you around." He said with a wave, turning on his heel and walking out. Sonic barely blinked as the hedgehog left the Eatery.

"Poor guy works nights and deals with school all day. Oh well, better him than me." Rouge said with a yawn, turning to Sonic before heading back to the break room.

She stopped momentarily to tap Sonic shoulder.

"If you want his number, just let me know." She teased. Sonic didn't even turn back to her. He wanted a lot more than Shadow's number.

/

Sonic had a glow for about a week after his encounter with Shadow. His school load seemed lighter, his shifts seemed to go by faster, and it was becoming hard _not_ to smile. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by his peers. His night shift coworkers sent him knowing glances every time he went for break and Rouge hadn't stopped teasing him. She had let him know that due to Shadow's busy schedule, the midnight hedgehog wouldn't stop by often. This had initially disheartened Sonic but Rouge had promised the hedgehog would stop by as soon as he could. She still hadn't given him Shadow's number though.

But Shadow apparently visited during one of the shifts Sonic had switched due to an exam. Before the blue hedgehog could beat himself up about it, Shadow had told Rouge he would be back the following night.

Sonic had tried to look a little better for _that_ shift, even though Shadow had already seen him in his scruffy uniform. A little more gel on the quills, an extra spritz of cologne, he even wore the new top Tails had bought him a few weeks ago.

He could feel the extra pep in his step as he walked to the train station but he tried to ignore it. He barely knew Shadow and wasn't even sure if the hedgehog was interested. He didn't want to get his hopes up, even if he couldn't stop smiling on the Soleanna train (which earned him more than a fair share of questioning glances).

And maybe that was for the best, because for the first few hours of his shift, Shadow was no where in sight. At the very least, Rouge was acting professional and Vector had toned down on the jokes because Sonic's cheery disposition had quickly fallen. He sighed as customers took orders and dragged his feet whenever he had to run to the freezer.

Towards the end of his shift, he decided to take a break. Gesturing to Rouge that he was going to the break room, the blue hedgehog walked past Vector and entered the small room. He had only just sat down when Rouge's voice echoed through the small room.

"Sonic, this customer needs a medium coffee!"

Sonic cursed under his breathe. Cream had fallen ill last minute and their boss hadn't had time to get someone else to take the shift. It was probably only a one night thing, and Sonic did hope Cream felt better soon, but it sucked that he had to pick up the slack during his break.

"Coming!" He growled.

Walking to the front, he immediately turned to the coffee maker and grabbed a styrofoam cup. Happy to see the coffee had just finished brewing, he poured the cup and grabbed a lid from the tray beside the machine. Turning on his heel, he put on his best fake smile and went to hand the drink to the customer.

"Here's your...Shadow?"

Standing in front of him was none other than the midnight hedgehog smirking beside a cheerful bat.

"I heard you missed me so I had to come again." Shadow explained, the smirk never leaving his face. Sonic blushed and turned to glare at Rouge, who giggled.

"Thank me later hun, I'm going on break." She said with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder before walking towards the back.

"So how have you been?" Shadow asked, his smirk turning into a look of genuine interest. Sonic took a deep breath and smiled.

"I've been alright, school's boring but that's to be expected."

"Where do you go to school?"

"Oh, just a high school off of Soleanna. I'm just taking some classes to raise my grades." Sonic explained bashfully.

"Hey that's better than rushing into university, trust me." Shadow said with a smile. He leaned on the counter as he sipped his coffee and Sonic inwardly grimaced as he heard his own breath hitch.

"Some of the opinions my colleagues, if you can call them that, give in class are cringeworthy. I sometimes wonder if they snuck into the institution." The midnight hedgehog continued with a scoff.

"That extra prep will help you, don't be ashamed of it." He finished, leaning back to finish his coffee. Sonic's eyes widened.

He's never been told his victory lap was a good thing. More often than not, conversations got awkward when he brought it up. And here he was, speaking to someone who was congratulating him for it.

"T-thanks, I appreciate that." He said looking anywhere but at Shadow. The other hedgehog only laughed and put down his cup.

"No problem, by the way you make a good cup of Jo." He said. Sonic beamed and grabbed the cup from the counter.

"Thanks! Wanna refill?" He asked, already walking towards the pot.

"Sure, one for the road." Shadow replied. Sonic's ears drooped a bit as he turned back to the hedgehog.

"You have to go?" He tried not to sound too sad as he handed Shadow the cup.

"I'll be back, as long as you keep making this awesome coffee." Shadow said with a smile, turning to walk out, coffee in hand.

"Alright, see you soon!" Sonic said with a wave, his heart beating faster than his running speed.

"Later, Sonic." Shadow said, returning the wave before leaving.

Sonic sighed and smiled, leaning on the cash register as he stared at the door. He had to admit he was crushing hard on Shadow. He would have to get to know him better, but even _that_ thought left him pretty excited. Where did he work? What classes was he taking? What did he like to do in his spare time?

Stuck in his thoughts, he didn't notice Rouge returning from the back smiling like a Cheshire Cat.

"Go swoon in the back room, buddy." She said with a smirk. Sonic jumped before turning back to glare at her.

"Whatever..." He retorted, passing the bat and a winking Vector as he walked to the break room.

/

To Sonic's surprise, Tails stopped by the following night. The blue hedgehog had only just turned away from a customer to give Cream an order when he'd heard his best friend's voice.

"Sonic!" The blonde fox had yelled from the line.

"Hey Tails!" Sonic replied with a wave, turning away when Rouge nudged him.

"What was that for?" Sonic asked with a frown, rubbing his arm. He hated that the bat loved bugging him.

"Go talk to your friend, I'll handle these." She said, pointing at the receipts on the counter. Sonic's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?" He asked incredulously. Rouge only nodded and shooed him away.

After Tails bought a latte, Sonic found them a table away from the front counter.

"So what's up Tails? It's been a while."

"It has! I never hear from you anymore. It wouldn't hurt you to call." Tails said with a concerned look on his face. Sonic sighed.

"I didn't want to bother you knowing you're always studying." He admitted. Tails shook his head.

"I always have time for my best friend. I'll start calling you too then, that way we're even." The fox said as he sipped his drink.

"So what else have you been up to? Amy's been looking all over for you." Tails asked with a raised eyebrow. Sonic's head hit the table.

"Please tell me you didn't tell her I work nights." He mumbled. Tails laughed.

"No way! The only way I found out was by asking Knuckles the other day. He told me all about Amy showing up randomly. Sorry about that, I had no idea she was doing that. I really wish they hadn't called the cops on her but at least her parents had bail money..." The blonde fox explained. Sonic chose to ignore that last bit.

"It's okay bud. She was a bit much and I just needed a change of scenery. Soleanna is completely different at night." The blue hedgehog replied with a smile. Tails nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which," Sonic continued. "Do you know a hedgehog named Shadow? He said he goes to your school." Tails blinked.

"Yes, actually. He's in a few of my classes. Why do you ask?" The fox asked innocently. Sonic turned away.

"N-no reason in particular." He muttered, turning back to see the fox smirking.

"So that's what Rouge meant." Tails said, placing a finger on his chin.

"W-what? Whatever she told you is _not_ true." Sonic growled, a blush quickly forming on his cheeks.

"She didn't say much! All she told me was that you've been distracted lately. Does it have something to do with Shadow?" Tails asked, leaning forward. Sonic sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get out of this one.

"Well I guess I have been, I mean I've only seen him a few times and our talks have been short but I want to get to know him."

"Do you _like_ him, Sonic?" Tails asked, his eyes growing wider by the second. Sonic bit his lip.

"I...I think I do." Sonic muttered, struggling to keep eye contact with his fox friend. He had surprised himself by just coming out and saying it considering he hadn't told anyone beforehand. But there was really no one better than his best friend to tell. He was even more surprised when Tails clapped his hands together and laughed.

"Uh Tails, are you okay?"

"Sonic, I'm so happy for you! You deserve someone great and I'm sure Shadow could fit the bill." The yellow fox explained.

"Plus it always takes you so long to take things like this seriously so I'm glad you're trying to make some sense of your feelings." Tails continued. Sonic stuck out his tongue.

"That's not true...well kinda but still."

"Are you gonna ask him out?" The fox asked energetically. Sonic quickly put a finger to his lip.

"No way," he hissed. "Not yet anyway! I don't even know if he plays for my team." The fox nodded even though Sonic's finger was still on his lip. Sonic pulled back and turned towards the counter.

"Plus, Rouge _can't_ hear us talking about this. She has supersonic hearing and I can't have her going back to Shadow about this."

"Well, why don't you at least ask him to hang out? Nothing serious or anything. There are so many cool things to do on Soleanna." Tails replied, finishing off his latte. It was Sonic's turn to place a finger on his chin.

"You know that's not a bad idea actually." The blue hedgehog admitted.

"You should come by the university! We have some nice restaurants and hang out spots." Tails whispered. Sonic blinked.

"You guys have all that?" He asked as Tails hopped out of his chair.

"Yup, that's why you should ask Shadow to show you around. I have to get going now. But I expect a full report." Tails replied. Sonic rolled his eyes.

"I'll...try." The hedgehog groaned, hoping he didn't embarrass himself again in front of the midnight hedgehog.

"You do that. By the way one of those customers looks pretty pissed." Tails said, pointing towards the counter. Sonic didn't even have to look to know what was happening.

"D-did you just pull that change out of your bra? In front of my _husband_?!" A short blonde woman screeched as she began to roll up her sleeves and tie her hair up.

"I did. And by the looks of it, you could use one..." Rouge mused, turning away in disgust.

"I have to go." Sonic said with a moan, giving Tails a wave as he began walking to the counter.

"G-good luck with that." Tails muttered, covering his ears as the blonde woman screamed obscenities at Rouge before attempting to jump over the counter.

"Sonic!" Vector yelled as he ran in between the two women.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming." Sonic said with a sigh.

/

"Go fish!"

"We're playing Uno, Vector" Sonic said, throwing his colourful cards on the break room coffee table.

It had been a couple of days since Tails had stopped by and the blue hedgehog had been on edge since. Not only had Shadow _not_ stopped by, but he had received an exam mark that he wasn't too happy with. He would have to put in some serious work to get the mark he wanted before the end of the semester.

"Oh c'mon, _one_ more game Sonic!" Vector begged. The hedgehog looked up and gave him a sympathetic smile. It was hard not to feel for the crocodile after what had happened earlier that night.

A bunch of university exams had finished at exactly the same time and students had made a mad rush to the eatery. During the hectic (and surprising) wave of customers, Vector, rushing to get burgers from the grill into buns, accidentally burned Rouge's arm with the hot oil on the spatula.

Sonic inwardly winced remembering how the bat had screamed before glaring at Vector and turning away to speak to a customer. She hadn't said a word to anyone after that, even Cream who had tried to check the burn. Now Vector was scared to even be in her presence, fearing the bat was concocting some sort of revenge against him. He had apologized profusely, but Rouge had completely ignored him. Sonic was really hoping she wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

Regardless, he knew their break was longer tonight because Rouge would rather work with Cream than sit in the break room alone. But even then, Sonic wasn't going to play another card game with Vector.

"Uh, mister Sonic?" Cream's beige face appeared as the break room door opened.

"Yeah, Cream?" Sonic replied with a sigh of relief. Saved by the bell...or the bunny...or whatever.

"Mister Shadow is here." She mumbled. Sonic's face went red, and it didn't help that Vector was clearly holding back a laugh.

"Not a word." He warned the crocodile as he got up from his seat and followed Cream to the front.

Shadow was standing at the counter checking something on his phone and in a way, Sonic was glad no one but Cream was there to see him.

"Where's Rouge?" Sonic asked. Cream shrugged as she headed back to the coffee maker.

"She said she needed some fresh air...and an ice pack." She explained, whispering the last bit so Vector didn't catch it.

Sonic nodded and turned back to Shadow, who by now was looking at him with a nervous grin.

"What's up tall, dark and mysterious?" Sonic said with a lazy smile. He wasn't great at the whole flirting thing but he'd decided it wouldn't hurt to try. Shadow chuckled and shook his head.

"Never better actually." He said, placing his hand on the counter.

"Actually I can't stay long." He continued. Sonic ears drooped but he tried to keep the smile he had walked in with.

"Oh...okay."

"But I wanted to know if you'd like to go for coffee with me. Somewhere that's not here, no offence." Shadow explained, his earlier smirk turning into a shy smile.

Sonic froze. Leave it to Shadow to beat him to the punch. Then again, it _did_ mean his feelings were possibly mutual.

He could hear Cream stifle a squeal and Vector, returning from the back since Rouge wasn't present, began humming softly as he went to grab a drink.

"Like a date?" Sonic asked trepidatiously. Clarity was needed in situations like this, after all.

Shadow cleared his throat.

"Only if that's okay with you." He replied, looking away. And that was all it took.

"Of course! I'd love to, Shadow." Sonic said with a smile, placing his hand over the one Shadow had placed on the counter. He was pretty sure he could hear Cream clapping in the back but he tuned it out.

"Cool, I can pick you up after your shift tomorrow if that's okay." Shadow said proudly, his confidence returning as Sonic held his hand.

"See you then." Sonic replied with a wink.

/

The following night was a tease fest from the night staff but to Sonic, it was definitely worth it.

"Have fun but be safe hun!" Rouge had said with a suggestive wink in front of a handful of customers. If she hadn't been the one to introduce the two, Sonic would have 'accidentally' grazed her arm with the spatula like Vector had.

But the green crocodile wasn't much better.

"Shadow and Sonic sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S...wait how does the rest go?" Sonic had heard him asking Rouge, who had only rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Shut up Vector!" He had yelled once he was sure there weren't any customers nearby.

"Leave Mister Sonic, Vector! I'm sure they won't be kissing in a _tree_ of all places!" Cream had added in. Sonic only moaned as her innocent comment was taken the wrong way by Rouge and Vector.

Shadow picked him once his shift ended and the two went on a motorcycle ride through the city. Even at night, Soleanna was alive and very much awake. Couples met up by the fountains and walked along the boardwalks while bar parties spewed out into the streets.

"It's beautiful." Sonic stated as they passed by one of the many tourist fountains.

"Not in comparison to you..." Shadow mumbled. Sonic heard him though and he snuggled closer in response.

"The school is closed now but they have a twenty four hour restaurant open close by." Shadow explained when they stopped at a red light.

"Cool, let's go." Sonic replied with a quick nod.

The restaurant was called Gram's and it was a popular breakfast spot, especially for club hoppers and people coming in from the late train. It was styled after a 50's diner with flashy lights and mouth watering milkshake. Shadow asked for a more secluded seat for the two after he parked his motorcycle outside and Sonic beamed as their seat was not only secluded but romantic. It was in the corner of the restaurant by a faux red telephone and consisted of a red, circular couch with a shiny circle table.

"This is nice." Sonic said, taking a seat on one side. He tried not to blush as Shadow moved to the middle and patted the space beside him.

"It's the only place to get food after I finish my late class." The dark hedgehog explained as he flipped through the menu.

"When you go to university, do yourself a favour and don't take robotnics. It's literally the bane of my existence." He continued, still analyzing the menu. Sonic looked up from his own menu.

"Robotnics? What is that?"

"We basically research this crazy scientist who created a string of experiments that all seemed to fail for one reason or another. We're supposed to try and figure out how said experiments could have worked. It's dreadful."

"Doesn't sound _that_ bad."

"Try having it as _late_ as we do. There aren't that many students in my class so we have the lowest priority when it comes to room booking at the university." Shadow said with a sigh, putting down his menu.

"Well at least I got to meet you. Something good came out of it." Sonic said with a confident smile which Shadow returned.

"You're right. It _was_ worth it." He admitted. Sonic wasn't sure his heart could handle any more compliments tonight.

"Do you guys know what you want?" A grey hedgehog asked as he approached the table. His name tag read "Silver" which was a bit of an understatement as Sonic took in his fur colour.

"I'm ready, how about you?" Shadow asked, turning from Silver to Sonic. Sonic blinked, looking back at the menu.

"O-one sec!" Sonic stammered, his cheeks flaring up.

Silver laughed and then coughed when Sonic glared at him.

"Sorry! You guys are just the cutest couple we've seen here. My coworkers can't get over the two of you." He explained, pointing towards the counter where Sonic and Shadow could see the chef and two of the waiters watching them and whispering. Once they saw them looking back they quickly turned away, the chef clearing his throat in embarrassment.

"Take your time, we're just happy to have you guys here." Silver said before walking over to another table.

"Looks like we're quite the hot topic." Shadow mused, smirking at Sonic.

"I-I guess..." Sonic said, quickly looking back at his menu. He felt something touch his cheek before realizing Shadow had moved over and kissed him. Turning to the midnight hedgehog with a shocked expression, he slowly reached up and touched his cheek. Shadow turned away awkwardly seeing his reaction and shifted in his seat.

"Too soon?" He asked quietly. Sonic reached over and put a hand behind his date's neck.

"Not soon enough." He whispered, planting his lips on the other hedgehog's. He was sure he heard a few gasps as well as a plate drop and shatter, but he was getting numb to the background noise. All that mattered in that moment was the butterflies is his stomach disappearing and being replaced with a warm glow.

"...wow." Shadow said as they pulled away from each other. He took hold of Sonic's hand and put it on his chest. His heart was beating as fast as Sonic, albeit a beat or two slower. Sonic turned away bashfully. They were so in the moment they didn't realize Silver standing in front of them with a smirk and a blush on his cheeks.

"Wow is right. How about some milkshakes to cool things down?" He asked, leaving before they could even answer.

"That was amazing, we have to do that again." Sonic said as they left Gram's, waving to Silver and the other diners watching them from the window.

"Of course," Shadow agreed. "Whenever you have time, let me know."

 _BEEP, BEEP._

"Oh for the love of..." Shadow muttered, rolling his eyes as he pulled out his phone from his leather jacket.

"Yes? I'll be there soon." He said before hanging up.

"Looks like your night's not over." Sonic stated, smirking.

"No, but I'm glad you were a part of it." Shadow said with a smile, taking Sonic's hand before heading towards his motorcycle.

"Let me give you a ride to the station, it's the least I can do."

"Are you sure?" Sonic asked.

"Of course. They can wait." Shadow said with a wink. And Sonic's heart soared for what must have been the hundredth time that day.

This was the beginning of something great, and for once he wasn't worried about his future. It was looking brighter now than it ever had.

 _A/N: So for the last couple of weeks, I've been writing this story on my daily train rides. It was originally called "The Emerald Eatery" because that was the name I created for the setting of the story but I didn't feel it fully captured what the story was about. Honestly, I_ _ **really**_ _like this story! I never expected it to go on as long as it did but I wanted to add a lot of funny and dramatic moments along with everything else. THANK YOU to the people who reviewed "The Bark of A Crocodog", which if you haven't read yet, you totally should! TBOAC was originally planned as a ONE-SHOT but even when I was writing it, I had a second part planned. Stay tuned! Please review this one if you like it guys! I miss those awesome emails :)._

 _P.S. There are SO many moments of irony that I added in so if you know the Sonic Universe you should pick up on them! I.E. "Robotnics" "Albeit a beat or two slower"._

 _-GeminiMercedes-_


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